Expat Files – 01.08.16

-A seasoned gringo Expat (with a Brazilian wife) living in Brazil tells us some horrifying personal stories of the general insecurity and rampant crime taking place in the country. It seems even the so-called nice, upscale residential and shopping areas are not exempt from frequent robberies, assaults, general crime and lawlessness. Beside the crime problem, there are many reasons why Brazil does not make my list of Expat destinations.

-Today we have more good reasons not to drive a late model car of distinction or SUV in Latin America. If you do, you’ll be a target.

-To Tint or not to Tint: the truth about those ubiquitous Latin American dark-tinted (extremely dark) car windows. Should you do it to your own car? What if no cars had tinting? Is it a good or bad thing?

-What’s Latin America like for supersized and very tall gringos and Expats? For example: is it easy (or hard) for a six foot five inch guy to get around in a mostly down-sized Latin America? Yes, some buildings really are architecturally unfriendly to tall people. In older buildings, even six-footer’s occasionally bump their noggins

Michael Brenner – Obama’s America: Id, Ego and Super-Ego

Barack Obama’s conduct as President baffles us – just as his personality eludes us. Design and purpose seem to be equally lacking even as the man exudes a strong sense of elitist superiority and his words convey high-minded aspirations. The puzzle lends itself more to psychological analysis than to political analysis. Here is one formulation that may shed light on …

Stephen Martin – The Financial Terrorism of Corporate Gangsters in the ‘Western World’

The real owners are the big wealthy business interests that control things and make all the important decisions. Forget the politicians. They’re an irrelevancy. The politicians are put there to give you the idea that you have freedom of choice. You don’t. You have no choice! You have owners! They own you. They own everything. They own all the important …

Expat Files – 12.13.15

– Examples how a corrupt congress and O’vomit are making it harder and harder for us citizens to become Expats. Examples how the US State Department is also making it more and more difficult for Expats to get residency in a foreign country. Time is running out on the options, the doors are slowly closing so you must get your plan B in motion now.

-Do you need a work permit to get a grunt service job in Latin America? Technically and officially yes. Today we discuss the “real’ Latin work permit situation (for gringos) as well and some workplace tips if when working for the man (off the books of course).

-Expats in Latin America can live nicely on a measly SS check- but only when they’re off the gringo tourist trail. That system works fine for now. But what will happen to those same Expats when the US dollar is finally taken down (as it must be) on the international economic stage? What will happen to Expats in Latin America who depend on a govt check? What happens to their dollar purchasing power?

Interview with Peter Henry from Consider Bardwell Farm – 11.19.15

Peter Henry is the sales and Marketing Manager for Consider Bardwell Farm, a three hundred acre dairy farm in West Pawlet, Vermont. Peter is responsible for running and staffing nine weekly farmers market stands, as well as the distribution of their artisanal cheeses throughout the country.

Consider Bardwell Farm is committed to sustainability and delicious raw milk, handcrafted cow and goat cheeses. Consider Bardwell was also a man, who founded Vermont’s first dairy coop along with a cheesemaking operation on the same spot in 1864. The farm chose to keep the name and continue the tradition!

Peter is also a veteran of Blue Hill in New York City, along with more restaurants than he cares to remember.

It’s Our Money with Ellen Brown – Flush the TPP ….. One More Time – 11.11.15

The deservedly-despised Trans Pacific Partnership is front and center in our discussion this week. Ellen talks with author and producer of the “Secret of Oz” movie Bill Still, who discusses the consolidation of monetary power and the quest for total global control. Co-host Walt McRee talks to one of the central figures leading the public campaign to stop this misnamed corporate coup, Dr. Margaret Flowers, of Flush the TPP.org. And Matt Stannard once again brings the focus back to the moral implications of the pact that have been ignored.

Solartopia Green Power and Wellness Hour – 10.15.15

SHUTTING THE PILGRIM NUKE is our primary focus of our roundtable talk with four tremendous activists. Pilgrim’s owner, ENTERGY, has announced it will close the ancient nuke by June 1, 2019. But the reactor is out of compliance on a large number of safety and engineering issues and will put the region at risk if it goes forward.

SHEILA PARKS, Boston-area founder of On Behalf of Planet Earth; ARLENE WILLIAMS of Cape Downwinder; TIM JUDSON of the Nuclear Information & Resource Service and PAUL GUNTER of Beyond Nuclear join us to cover the issue.

Among other concerns are violations of fire safety requirement now nearly a quarter-century out of compliance; spent fuel overflowing the site’s ability to handle it; a dertioriating work force and much more.

The latest shut-down announcement would take the US reactor fleet to 98, the lowest total in many years. But can we survive Pilgrim & its ancient siblings operating even another fuel cycle?

Stay tuned….

It’s All About Food – Liz Ross and Keith Mullin – 10.13.15

Part I: Liz Ross, Coalition of Vegan Activists of Color
Liz Ross is the founder of Coalition of Vegan Activists of Color (COVAC), which collaborates with individuals and community organizations to mobilize vegans of color to initiate vegan outreach and animal rights initiatives. COVAC also promotes veganism while collaborating with other social justice organizations. Liz serves on the advisory board of Food Empowerment Project, a vegan food justice organization that encourages healthy food choices that reflect a more compassionate society.

Part II: Keith Mullin, Zippy’s

Developing trendsetting products for over 20 years, Keith Mullin has developed unique, crave worthy, consumer packaged goods including the award winning Gamer Grub®, a snack formulated for videogame enthusiasts. As a serial entrepreneur, his innovative items in the marketplace also include children’s toys, electronics, and pet products. Mullin has successfully developed products for the undiscovered ‘white space’ within multiple industries.

Black Agenda Radio – 09.21.15

– A researcher at the University of Connecticut has come up with a price tag for reparations for Black people for slavery in the United States. Professor Thomas Craemer puts the cost at between $5.9 trillion and $14.2 trillion, depending on how you do the calculations.

– Dr. Marsha Coleman-Adebayo is an editor and columnist for Black Agenda Report, a renowned whistleblower, and an activist with the Hands Up Coalition-DC. She’s also become a close friend and comrade with the mother of Emanuel Okutuga, a Nigerian American college senior who was shot dead by a cop in suburban Washington, in 2011. Dr. Coleman-Adebayo says her Nigerian friend’s American dream has turned into a nightmare.

– A new book reveals U.S. efforts to undermine and overthrow governments in Latin America during the Bush and early Obama administrations. The book is titled “The WikiLeaks Files,” and it’s co-authored by Dan Beeton and two other researchers from the Center for Economic Policy and Research. The team examined diplomatic cables detailing U.S. subversion of the governments of Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, El Salvador and Honduras. The United States claims that it is a good neighbor to nations in Latin America, but Dan Beeton says the evidence tells a very different story.

– There will soon be a new film on the aftermath of Katrina, in New Orleans. Kimberly Rivers-Roberts produced her first film, “Trouble the Water” shortly after the 2005 catastrophe in her hometown. The film was nominated for an Oscar and won several awards at the Sundance Film Festival. Ms. Rivers-Roberts is also known by her Hip Hop artist name, Queen Kold Madina, Her new film looks at what has happened to New Orleans in the ten years since Katrina. It’s titled “Fear No Gumbo.”